Page 33 of Marrying the Accidental Groom
“Oh no,” she whispered, eyes wide. “Ohno.”
She lunged for the window button, jamming it like a woman possessed. Nothing. The truck stayed perfectly sealed, like a tomb.
“Why isn’t the window working?”
Gideon winced. “The battery’s dead.”
She blinked at him, horror dawning. “You killed the battery?”
He gave an awkward half-shrug, hands still on the wheel like it might protect him. “Well, I didn’t do iton purpose. Ethel is due for a new one. Guess she stopped recharging.”
Juliana slumped back in her seat, hand pressed to her forehead like she might faint—or commit murder. “Oh, wonderful. We’re locked in your metal death trap with no AC and no open windows.”
“It’s like seventy degrees outside,” Gideon said with infuriating calm. “And we’re parked in the shade. We’re not going to roast.”
She pulled out her phone and groaned when she saw the display read SOS instead of a reasonable number of bars.
“No service. Of course not.”
Gideon winced at her. “There’s always the rear window?”
Juliana stared at him in horror. “You mean the one that openssidewaysand is like a foot wide?”
He shrugged. “Desperate times. I just know I won’t fit through there.”
Her stomach twisted again.
“I’m going out,” she announced.
“Okay, okay. Hang on. Just give me a second to think. Jules, I didn’t mean to trap you in here. You might get stuck,” he said, eyes wide with concern.
“I’ll take that over vomiting in your truck.” Or worse, she thought, realizing that she might not be able to predict from which end the Indian food was going to perform its grand finale.
“I’ll just break the window. Hold on, I’ve got a Maglite around here somewhere.”
Ignoring his protests, she began awkwardly maneuvering herself into the back seat, muttering every insult she could think of under her breath.
“This is why people use dating apps. No one accidentally marries someone with a truck like this on eHarmony. And this is exactly why I don’t go off-script. One minute it’s pineapple trucks and pretty vows, and the next I’m married to a man who doesn’t even have functioning door handles!”
“You’re doing great, sweetie,” he said, tone sweet and encouraging despite her attitude. It was like the jerk was enjoying her pain.
“Shut. Up.”
Wriggling like a disgruntled otter, Juliana finally made it to the tiny window and shoved her head and shoulders through, grunting as the frame caught at her hips.
“You better not be staring at my butt,” she warned, voice echoing behind her.
Gideon’s pause was far too long to be innocent. “Well, Iamlegally obligated to admire you now. Pretty sure it was in the vows. I solemnly promise to only check out my wife.”
“That was not in the vows,” she sassed, struggling to keep the smile covering her face from coloring her words. She should be mad at him right now for getting her into this ridiculous situation, not finding him charming.
“We should fix that for our next wedding,” he mused. And despite the fact that she was hanging halfway out the rear window of the truck trying not to hurl, she laughed.
12
GIDEON
The barn was already dressed for Christmas, and it didn’t look like Juliana or his mom were stopping anytime soon.
